Carton based packages for liquid food products are well known in most parts of the world. For instance, Tetra Brik® packages are used in many parts of the world for milk, juice and other beverages. There are several reasons why carton based packages have gained such popularity. The environmental benefits of the packages, e.g. that the packages are to a large extent produced by renewable material and the efficient logistics of brick shaped packages, are some reasons for this popularity. Another reason why carton based packages are popular is that the filling machines producing the packages are cost efficient compared to other alternatives and that the total cost for running a carton based filling machine is very competitive.
There are generally two different types of filling machines for carton packages, blanks fed packaging machines and roll fed packaging machines. For blanks fed packaging machines, blanks, being pieces of packaging material with two ends welded together such that a folded sleeve is formed, are fed to the filling machine, erected into an open sleeve, folded and sealed such that bottoms are formed, filled with product and sealed and folded such that a package filled with product is achieved. For roll fed packaging machines a tube is formed from a web of packaging material by continuously directing the web and making a longitudinal sealing. The tube is filled with product and then by making successive transversal sealings and cuttings in a lower end of the tube, packages are formed. By providing means for holding the tube in position during the transversal sealing and cutting, and by providing subsequent folding means different forms may be obtained.
In order to assure that packages produced by carton based packaging systems fulfill quality standards quality control systems are used. Today, these systems often involve manual moments, which increases a risk for that incorrect information is input. Since the feedback provided via the quality control systems is important in order to become aware of maintenance needed for the packaging system, there is a need for further improve the quality control systems such that anomalies can be detected at an even earlier stage. This will have the positive effect that maintenance of the packaging can be made more efficiently, in turn providing for that the down time of the packaging system can be reduced even further.